from 1806 to 1851 129

To these glimpses of the court of the period,
tradition affords an additional one of processions
of the judges and lawyers passing through on the
public foot-path between the buildings to the
south of the State House, called Chancery Lane,
on their way to and from the hotel.

Toward the middle of the century, the practice
of constant attendance of the lawyers upon ses-
sions began to give way a little. Roads had then
been extended about the state and improved, and
travel on them was faster; and on Christmas Day,
1840, the first train came through from Annapolis
Junction on the new Annapolis & Elk Ridge
Railroad.

In the minutes of this court, as in those of other
courts of the country, the entries on the deaths of
Presidents John Adams and Jefferson afford a
striking illustration of the slow rate of travel and
communication at that period; both died on July
4, 1826, but while the death of Jefferson was an-
nounced to the court on July 7, that of Adams
was not announced until July 10. Luther Mar-
tin's death in New York, on July 10, was noted
in the minutes of July 20, 1826. There was then
a meeting of the bar, with Chief Judge Buchanan
in the chair, and John P. Kennedy secretary.
Announcement was made on January 14, 1843, of
the death of Francis Scott Key, and a eulogy was
delivered and recorded, all without any reference
to his having written the "Star Spangled Banner",
for which he is now remembered. The death of
a judge of the court was not customarily noticed
in the minute book before 1844, when minutes
were made of the deaths of Judge Stephen and